"Does Your Highness know about the fish and the bear's paw?" He Nan did not follow Qi Dan's intention to talk about Jiang Chen's case, but asked Qi Dan a question.
"The saying about fish and bear's paws comes from "Mencius Gaozi 1"." Qi Dan said, "Fish is what I want, and bear's paws are also what I want; you can't have both. If you give up fish and take bear's paws, also."
"Life is what I want, and righteousness is also what I want; you can't have both, and you have to sacrifice life for righteousness." He Nan heard Qi Dan explain the reason, and then he continued.
"Life is what I want, and what I want is more than life, so I won't get it; death is what I hate, and what I hate is more than the dead, so I can't get rid of my suffering."
"If there is nothing more that people want to do than live, then why not use anything that can lead to life? If there is nothing that people can hate more than the dead, then if there is anything that can be done to save the sick, why not do it?"
...The two of them finished the article like a solitaire, one sentence at a time.
"I think... you're just trying to test whether I can recite this article, right?" Qi Dan joked.
"I don't dare." He Nan nodded slightly, "It's just that the current situation is like a choice between a fish and a bear's paw. I... am in a dilemma."
"You don't mean to say that you have to sacrifice your life for justice." Qi Dan narrowed his eyes, showing displeasure. In Qi Dan's view, He Nan was as smart as himself, and he was the kind of person who put his eyes above his own and relied on his talent to be proud of things. Precisely because he agreed that He Nan was a smart man, he couldn't understand why he had the stupid idea of "sacrifice one's life for righteousness".
"Your Highness, you misunderstood." He Nan explained, "I don't want to sacrifice my life for righteousness, not to mention that my life and death are not in my hands. I just want to state my interests, and then Your Highness will naturally make a decision."
"Jiang Chen and I are like fish and bear's paws."
"Smooth words and falsehoods. Jiang Chen is a descendant of my Jiang family and a member of the Household Department. Do you, a small eighth-grade official, dare to compare yourself with him?" Jiang Wenbing was very disdainful of He Nan's words, "Bear. The severed limbs and palms can actually be confused with the koi carps with golden scales and red crowns."
He Nan glanced at Jiang Wenbing and made no rebuttal: "A single bear paw cannot be compared with the precious koi carp, but if you can tame a ferocious bear paw, it will be different."
"Continue." Qi Dan was curious about what He Nan meant by "a bear scorpion" and asked him to continue.
"If you want to deal with my master, the bear's paw will turn into a bear. The value... is far better than a fish that is worthless." He Nan actually said such treasonous words like this as if nothing had happened.
Is he... crazy? Qi Dan, Jiang Wenbing, Zhu Zhaoer, Zhang Siming, and even Du Liang, who was still drunk, were all shocked by He Nan. Everyone present knew that He Nan had the nickname "Crazy He", but they all thought that his usual behavior was just pretending to be crazy and acting stupid. Who knew that he would dare to make such wild remarks.
"You...but this doesn't explain why you can't have your cake and eat it too. In my opinion, there doesn't seem to be any conflict."
"It's very simple... Many people got wind of my attendance at your banquet today. If I deal with Jiang Chen after I go back, then these people will think that we have not reached an agreement. If Jiang Chen dies ——Then the conflict between me and the Jiang family is irreconcilable. Who can think that you will use Jiang Chen’s life as a bargaining chip to make me switch sides? After all, I am not an important person. But if I let Jiang Chen go after I go back ... This behavior can't be washed away even by jumping into the Yellow River. Do you think my master will still trust me? So even if I get on your high branch... it doesn't make sense to you or me. "He Nan made a cutting gesture towards his neck.
"You came to me just because you think I'm a chess piece buried under Shanhe Mansion and my master. It's pretty hidden and easy to use. But if someone pulls it out before the chess piece can take effect... the next one will still be there." Will it be so easy to bury?"
"I never said that I invited you to stumble Li Yushi... This is all your nonsense. And believe it or not, based on what you said now... I killed him on the spot. You, punishing you for the crime you committed is considered a minor one." Qi Dan's eyes burst out with a sharp cold light, like two sharp swords pointed at He Nan's face.
"Whether it's my wishful thinking or nonsense, since you don't mean it, it means I'm talking too much. If I have the life to go back...I will definitely not chew on this tongue again, just treat it as nothing like that. That's the case. If you are worried, you can kill me now. It doesn't matter if you accuse me of treason. Anyway, everyone present can prove that I am worthy of death for my rude words. But... three people become tigers, and I will die here today. It's not unfair at all. I won't know what outsiders say. What if my master might have left such a knot in his heart? If he puts a knife under your pillow first, will you be able to sleep? ?" As the two talked, the atmosphere at the table gradually became subtle and solemn. In other words, He Nan was undoubtedly in a situation where he had a knife held to his neck, and he handed the knife to Qi Dan himself. However, his expression was as normal, and he didn't seem to be afraid. Instead, he was confident and eloquent, which was unpredictable.
"I... can I understand that you are bargaining?" Qi Dan couldn't understand the person in front of him. It is true that he is afraid of death when he is so submissive and almost loses his temper under Jiang Wenbing's palm. It is also true that he is not afraid of death when he speaks treasonous words calmly and calmly. It is also true that he grits his teeth and refuses to let people go, and is able to bend his eyebrows and humiliate the powerful. Yes, the self-recommendation that he could be a bitch to himself seems to be true...
"Yes, you can understand it no matter what. You can even understand that I am threatening you, or sowing discord between you and Mr. Zuo Fengyi, or between you and my master." He Nan still had wine and meat in his mouth, and the glass and plate were in a mess. The scene even gave people the illusion that he had calmly died and was eating his last meal.
Qi Dan was not angry at He Nan's arrogant words but smiled instead: "Hey Nan, He Nan... do you think that the status between you and me is equal? Or do you mean that the relationship between you and me is already familiar? Are you so connected that you can speak out arrogant words unscrupulously without following etiquette? Is it possible that we are all drunk and in a dream, and are you the real fifth prince of the Sheng Kingdom?"
"... Of course there are differences in status. You are the prince, and I am just a small official. But in this matter, our 'positions' are opposite - you came to me on your own initiative, I have never had any intention of begging you. I know that you will not only have me as a choice, but I also know that you are not begging me, but soliciting. It is the superior who throws a rope to the inferior to climb up. "
"Both you and my master have given me a rope. As long as I grab this rope, I will be like a pawn crossing the river - there will be no turning back. At that time, it will matter whether I am tied or dragged. You decide how high I can climb and when to throw me down, it’s all a matter of the blink of an eye.”
"In other words... what I want doesn't depend on how much I want it, but whether you want to give it to me or not. So no matter which side I choose, it doesn't make any difference."
After hearing He Nan's "heartfelt words", Qi Dan's doubts could not be said to have been wiped away, but he also somewhat understood He Nan's mood.
The chaotic and blurry image of "Crazy He" in his eyes gradually became clearer, and he knew why he could see two completely opposite shadows in He Nan. Because he asked for something but did not get it, he is afraid of death; because he has a humble life, he is not afraid of death; because he is a little pawn, so he must follow a master; but he is just a little pawn, so It didn't matter to him who he followed.
This is the pitiful thing about ants, Qi Dan suddenly felt this way in his heart. "It's nice to say nice things. I think you are being honest at this time. But it seems that you and I don't trust each other enough to talk about our concerns like this, right?"
He Nan didn't seem to take this sharp question seriously at all, "Since ancient times, the biggest problem for spies is loyalty. I can be loyal to my master because of friendship, or I can be loyal to you because of interests. Trust? This kind of Things are nothing to spies. If you really have some energy left, you can guess how much of my advice to you is true and how false. Don’t worry, I won’t tell you everything. ...You don’t trust me either, right? But since I went to this banquet today, my master’s trust in me is not 100%.”
"If it's not 100%, what's the difference between it and zero? We're not on the same boat yet. If you don't trust me, or if you really have no intention of participating in the court dispute, take me off the boat now. It's too late to kick me out. You can think that I am sent by my master to use countermeasures against you. But if you want something more than what you have now... I don't think everything I said before is considered a drunken gaffe. .”
Excellent counselors since ancient times have been good at settling accounts - settling their own accounts, settling their lord's accounts, settling the world's accounts... Su Qin's "He Zong", Zhang Yi's "Lian Heng", Zhuge Liang's "Long Zhong Dui", Mao Zedong Jie's "I obey the emperor's orders and refuse to submit"... and so on are undoubtedly the interpretation of "settling accounts" to the extreme. Of course, He Nan couldn't be compared with the above, but he had already settled Qi Dan's account very clearly in his words - what he wanted was not just the current situation, since the person in front of him could do it even if he was a traitor. He was so confident that he had no reason not to give him a try. The worst result would be to advance the time of breaking up, not to mention that he still had other chips in his hand.
But Qi Dan still felt a little unhappy - he seemed to be being led around by the talkative guy in front of him. He Nan... actually taught himself a lesson called "overshadowing the host".
The fifth prince thought for a while, then waved to He Nan to follow him into the back hall. The two of them whispered in the back hall for about an hour before coming out.
Seeing that it was getting late and the banquet was almost gone, He Nan followed Zhu Zhaoer and said goodbye. Just as he stepped out of the hall, Qi Dan suddenly called him from behind.
"He Nan...you are really the most despicable and shameless person I have ever seen."
He turned around and looked at the fifth prince standing in the center of the hall with his hands behind his back. He showed a smile that was different from all the fake smiles and bitter smiles he had seen before. It was an extremely sincere smile. "You are ridiculous."
